


Fragment

by Screamy



Category: The Hobbit (2012), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Blind!Kili, M/M, Self Loathing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-05
Updated: 2013-04-05
Packaged: 2017-12-07 14:11:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,216
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/749411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Screamy/pseuds/Screamy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Hobbit Art Challenge Prompt </p><p>A juvenile prank by Kili and Bilbo that turns horribly wrong leaving Kili blind, and how they deal with it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fragment

Fragment

Two pairs of feet silently skittered across the empty hallway as eyes darted to and fro; it was imperative that the two were not seen, less their plans fall to ruin.

A lip was bitten in a sorry attempt to keep the bubbles of mirth from escaping while a tiny, plump hand strived to smack the snickers away only to have a few of their own escape instead. The hand not used in the assault of the princely head opened the door to their destination.  It wasn’t often one could see such mischief in the hobbit's eyes but whenever Kili was involved, such occasions always seemed to pop up. 

It was but a small prank at first, in exchange for more combat training by the young dwarf but somehow, it all went wrong.  Standing watch by the door, shortly after setting alight a small planted explosive in Fili’s shared bed chamber with the dwarf brother in question, Bilbo spotted the grave mistake they had made.

The string to ignite the small bag of pyrotechnics, which would explode and paint the room with array of colors, was too short. 

“KILI!”  Was the last thing to be heard before the boom.

 

 The windows shuddered as another boom filled the air, Bilbo had counted the seconds from the last flash of lighting. The storm was eight miles away and heading in their direction. His eyes shifted towards the dwarf whose fists were clenched at his sides, so tight that his knuckles turned white.

Kili let out a breath, unraveling the strain before his hands while stumbling through the air in search of the edge of his bed.

“It’s not fair Mr. Boggins. Just because I cannot see does not mean I cannot be useful. It's only temporary they said!” Kili shouted in agitation, flopping backwards down onto his bed in a huff.  He was once again left behind by the rest of the party, placed under Bilbo’s care until their return.

He meant no offence towards the hobbit by saying this, but it irked him greatly to be considered weak, so weak in fact he had to be...supervised.  He very well knew he could take care of himself, and did not need to bother the hobbit anymore than he already does.   

He ignored the deep intake of breath and the rustle of cloth as Bilbo gripped his chest. The hobbit was still torn by guilt.

If only he knew, if only he spotted it sooner, the hobbit's mind has been riddled with if onlys and blaming his Took side ever since that day. Kili could hear the pain but he no longer felt the need to bite his tongue.   

Everyone already forgave Bilbo, because there was nothing to forgive in the first place. It was the dwarf's fault, and Kili himself knew this to be true.  The only role Bilbo played was look out, and if the copious nicks Kili felt scattered about the hobbit's arms were any indication, he could have lost function in his hands as well as his sight.

It was he, whose chest deserves such crippling pain.

Tenfold. 

But Oin diagnosed his condition to be short-term, so allowing his eyes to heal is all Kili should be concerned about now.  

“And if it’s only temporary, focus all that energy on healing yourself why don’t you,” Bilbo retorted as if he read the dwarf's very thoughts,  halfheartedly smacking the back of Kili’s head with a shadow of the playfulness it once held.  

Always wary was Mr. Boggins, another thing to add onto the list of growing irritants. 

Kili pouted. “But that is much more difficult a task than you assume Mr. Boggins!”  It was not in his blood to sit still and “rest."

With an intake of air through his nostrils he realized something was missing from behind him.

“Mr. Boggins?”  Kili called, shooting up into a sitting position while blindly twisting around in search of his friend; the vacant look in his normally animated eyes was quite unnerving while he used his ears to pinpoint Bilbo’s location. Although his other senses may have enhanced a bit, he was still a long way from relying on them to function.

Unconsciously Bilbo had made his way to be standing in front of Kili, watching as the dwarf searched for him when he was only mere inches away.  He did this frequently, silently approaching Kili from various angles as if waiting to be seen, to prove this was nothing more than a cruel prank played way past expiration only to have his hopes shattered each time.

“Mr. Boggins?” Kili called out for a third time and as always a hand reached out to cover his.  Kili clutched onto those hands for a moment before patting his way up Bilbo’s arms, along his neck, and around his face until he was cupping the hobbit's cheeks. A soft smile spread across his lips. “I’m going to get better soon, just you wait. There’s no need to worry about me.”

The crinkle at the corner of Bilbo’s eyes and rising of his cheeks was all Kili needed to brighten his own smile.  “I know. Such the independent dwarf you are.” There was an underlying tone that he couldn’t quite understand with the words Bilbo spoke, but he brushed it aside as per usual. 

Kili released his hold and the two bid each other goodnight.

He made sure that Bilbo was out of the room before he stood up from his bed, running his fingers along the wall until he reached the doorway. Kili listened very carefully to the retreating footsteps that lead to a room on the opposite end of the abandoned household the company found no more than a night ago.

He waited by the threshold, listening very carefully until he was sure he could hear no more before stumbling back into his bed, trembling like a leaf. If anyone were to ask: his quaking form was from the cold, and not because it was when he was alone that the darkness truly consumed him.

With a shaky breath, he threw the bedding over his head and willed himself to sleep, suppressing the need to call out for the hobbit to keep him company.

Sadly he wasn’t allowed much time to unwind and relax before the storm crashed through the window, startling him into wakeful alertness.  

He gulped down an exceedingly large amount of air in surprise, which proceeded to choke him into a coughing fit. He was hacking up a lung, completely unaware to his room now completely exposed to the elements.

With no glass to contain it, the rain showered down, soaking everything in its path, including Kili who was too caught up in composing himself to notice, until he was splattered with water.  

He froze in his sodden clothes, stirring a sudden sense of familiarity. Life drained from his entirety, his mind instantly pulled back; back to the day this all began.  When he was foolishly saved by a hobbit.

 

 Blood! This was Bilbo’s blood!

 “Bilbo!” He yelled in a fury, haphazardly stumbling out of bed, tripping over the bedspread that coiled around his feet.  He patted along the ground in search of the perpetrator that had him tangled. He was in a hurry; he needed to get to Bilbo, he needed to make sure the hobbit was safe.

With a rip and a tear he was free and scattering about, trying to find purchase as he fumbled around, his fingertips brushing the wooden floor, hastily calculating his approximate location. Once he reached the door into what he hoped to be the hallway, he used panels as momentum to shoot down the corridor and into the direction he assumed Bilbo to be in.

It was dark, so very dark, and he was honestly a bit scared, but he could hear him. He could hear Bilbo calling him.

 

  _“KILI!”_

_The dwarf in question snapped his head around to the sound of his name, the panic in Bilbo’s eyes had his blood run cold. He turned around only to have Bilbo wrap his arms around his waist yanking him as far as he could out of the blast, but it was too late, debris nearly sliced the hobbit's arms to ribbons._

_Blood splattered about for a moment before simply oozing out and coating Kili’s attire as the dwarf collapsed onto the floor cushioned by Bilbo. The hobbit was knocked unconscious on impact, his arms going limp as the two slid apart, skidding to a halt._

_Ears ringing, Kili coughed, hacking up gunk that clogged his airways. He wiped his face clean with hands unknowingly stained with blood as he sat up, only able to see fragments of the world around him. He surveyed the result of the disastrous mistake to see that a large portion of the blast had coated him in colorful debris. With his muddled vision, Kili's eyes scanned over a large, dark, lump before making a double take._

_That lump was Bilbo!_

_He staggered along the floor, his equilibrium thrown off balance, rendering his movements drunken as he searched for Bilbo who had landed a few feet away, arms torn and head bleeding from being crushed under Kili's weight. He continued to unconsciously rub his eyes clean only making matters worse for his sight._

_Upon finding his dear friend, he shakily patted Bilbo’s cheeks, ignoring the crimson prints he left behind, sheepishly trying to wake him. Kili’s voice quivered the more he tried to coerce Bilbo to open eyes, fear ripping through him._

_What if he killed Bilbo over a juvenile prank on his brother?_ _The ringing in his ear only grew louder when he saw Thorin and Fili burst forth through the door, followed by Bofur, Gandalf and the rest of the company. After registering the presence of others ready to help Biblo more efficiently than he, Kili’s adrenaline took a nose dive and with his nerves shot he passed out._

Bilbo was roused from his slumber when he heard the crash at the other end of the home.

It was abandoned and rickety, so Bilbo assumed the storm had finally crossed their path, which is why he didn’t think much of it at first, and laid his head back down on the weathered pillow. Even in their beaten condition these rooms were much more comfortable than the earth outside.

He tries his best not to complain. Of course there have been slip ups, but not as often as there once was, though he must have made it quite obvious how thankful he was to have some semblance of a bed if the smirks and grins sent  his way were of any indication.   

His head was only down for a minute before he was jarred into action upon the call of his name, followed by a racket of shattered glass and crunched wood. He threw off his cover and bound his way across the room and out the door.

The commotion left just as quickly as it came, leaving Bilbo to shoot around in the dark in search of Kili, his only source of light being the sporadic strikes of lightning.  

The house was small so it wasn’t long before he stumbled across Kili, quite literally in fact.

He was just about to apologize for crashing into him so carelessly  when he noticed the dwarf was hyperventilating, hands crunched over his eyes, fingers scraping against his face as if trying to tear something that was covering them, _drawing_ a trickle of blood. Bilbo’s face fell.  It was just like before, when Kili first awoke.

Bilbo clamped his hands over the dwarf's, noticing the almost instantaneous effect, though Kili’s hands still clenched and unclenched, fighting whatever it was that was going on in his head. With a pucker of his lips he brought those hands to his cheeks, warming them up as he gently touched his forehead against Kili’s, whispering pacifying words.  

 

  _Compared to the hectic hours that followed the disaster, not much damage was done. Bilbo’s hands were shredded but not enough to scar too heavily, though he honestly didn’t expect to come out of this journey unscathed. It was after that as they waited for Kili to wake that everyone had started to dote on him... well in a dwarvesly way._

_He accepted it at face value knowing that it will pass, only to put all that attention towards Kili mostly out of anger than anything else. Bilbo didn’t take pleasure in knowing that most of the blame fell on Kili’s shoulders. He was just as at fault being an accessory. He could have stopped him, but he didn’t._

_Kili, Fili and Ori were still so young, thus he didn’t have the heart to deny any of them whatever their pleasures may be, and for Kili that was an occasional prank or two. Harmless by nature but rather...explosive, as a result._

_Here he sat on one edge of Kili’s bed, staring down at the clothed face sleeping soundly, that is until the body stirred with a groan. Relief swelled in Bilbo’s chest to see that the dwarf wasn’t reduced to a coma. “Bilbo! Bilbo wake up!” Was the first thing out of Kili’s lips before Bilbo squashed any unease by placing firm hands on the dwarf's shoulders. “It’s alright, everything okay, there’s no need to worry anymore,” he said just as much for himself as it was for Kili._

_After three deep breaths all the tension melted out of Kili’s muscles leading to a glorious beaming grin. “I’m glad that you are safe Mr. Boggins, I have been in shambles with worry... as much worry as an unconscious individual can provide.”_

_Bilbo couldn’t help but laugh, causing Kili’s smile to grow brighter._

_“Well seeing how energetic the both of you have become, it must be good a time as any to remove your wrappings, Kili,” Fili said from the doorway with an impish grin stretched across his cheeks. There was a strange glint in Fili’s eyes that Bilbo always noticed whenever the two were together sharing a laugh._

_Bilbo puffed his cheeks while pursing his lips, curious as to what it may be, but left that for another day._

_“Shall we wait for the others to arrive before proceeding?” Bilbo asked, turning his attention back towards Kili._

_“I suppose we do not need to, no one expected him to be among the living so soon,” Fili said with a shrug, walking over to his brother’s side._

_Something called him from his duties, telling Fili he needed to be here._

_With a nod Bilbo released his grip on Kili’s shoulders and gently stripped the dressings away, the dwarf in question sitting there patiently. Although he was plenty capable of performing this task, he enjoyed being doted on by Bilbo whenever the occasion would arise._

_“Finished! You can open your eyes now, Kili,” He said while giving a smack, replacing the doting with playfulness, something just as easily accepted._

_Kili did as he was told only to laugh. “Very funny Mr. Boggins, you can remove the rest of gauze now,” he said only to be rewarded by silence. He twisted his head in the direction he assumed his two guests to be in, cocking his head in curiosity._

_“Is something wrong?” Kili asked._

_He felt a sharp twist of anticipation in his gut when still they did not answer._

_“Fili, this no longer holds any humor, please remove the rest of the bindings!”_

_“Brother...they’re gone.”_

_Kili clawed away at his head then screamed._

The dwarf didn’t realize when or how it happened but somehow he and Bilbo ended up in the hobbit’s bed with Kili curled in his arms and against the rise and fall of his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.  “Mr. Boggins?” he inquired to ensure this is who was embracing him, though the hobbit's sweet smell was familiar enough to distinguish.

“Yes Kili?” Bilbo asked, voice hoarse, but warm and comforting none the less.

“I..." Kili’s voiced hitched as he tried to bite back the tears that threatened to fall, to fight the jumbling words that would surely follow. “I’m so sorry, so very sorry.”

That was it, the dam broke and warm saline liquid began to cascade down his cheeks.

He blindly fumbled along Bilbo’s arms, tracing his fingers along the raised skin. Upon reaching their destination he pulled Bilbo’s hands to his lips, kissing their backs, kissing them better, they took the most damage of all, which opened a whole new floodgate of tears.

A collision of heads allowed a momentary pause in self loathing.

Kili shifted his head back, and only when his nose brushed against Bilbo’s did he know their faces were aligned. “There is no more need to apologize! Just have faith in me again and that will be enough.”

It was then that Kili truly realized how much he had been hurting Bilbo by casting him off to the side, trying to keep distance, to keep the hobbit away from his stupidity, to prove he was better so Bilbo need not worry or feel guilt. Though the affect was the exact opposite, Kili was crushing him with a rejection that he never intended to give.

“I can do that,” he sniffed.

“Good, now rest well, I’ll be here when you wake,” Bilbo said as he cupped Kili’s cheeks, rubbing the tears from his eyes.

Kili’s heart swelled with warmth. How he could have allowed such kindness to escape his grasp was beyond him. 

 

 “Bilbo! Hold on Bilbo, I can’t follow your silent steps!”

Kili patted his way through the brush, following the hobbit by smell alone, or that’s what Bilbo assumed anyways. With a mischievous grin, Bilbo decided his teasing went on long enough and grabbed Kili by the hand.

“Hold tight then! Unless you want to be left behind...again.”

With that said, the dwarf's grip tightened as he was pulled, but even with his prior teasing Bilbo patiently waited for Kili to find his footing and made sure he wasn’t running into any trees along the way, at least until they rejoined the rest of the dwarves along a more even road.

“Took you long enough!” called Fili who stay behind to regroup as the others walked on ahead, trusting Bilbo to handle it.

“Quiet! I’ll take as long as I please!” Kili pouted, eyes staring blankly beyond his brother.

“You should stop depending so much on Mr. Baggins, you’ll be able to see soon enough!”

Bilbo rolled his eyes. The two seemed to get into spats over the most ridiculous of reasons.

“Well let us be on our way then? Or do you two not mind the growing gap?” Bilbo snarked.

Fili turned around to see their party quite a few yards away. Without a moment’s hesitation Bilbo was on the move and with Kili on his tail, leaving Fili flabbergasted. His brother truly was rubbing off on the hobbit.

Though what really threw Fili out of the loop was seeing his brother suddenly tilt his head completely back and stare straight into the blond's eyes. He gave a wink, sticking out his tongue childishly, before resuming his supposed blindness.

Fili shook his head and grinned.


End file.
